Matt O’Mahoney – Kilkenny’s Soccer Pioneer

Sean Maguire is setting the League of Ireland alight with his goalscoring exploits but Matt O'Mahoney was Kilkenny's original footballing flag-bearer, writes Cian Manning.

Born in Mullinavat, meaning the ‘Mill of the Stick’, on 19th January 1913, Matthew Augustine O’Mahoney’s sporting exploits were very different to most inhabitants of Kilkenny. The year of the enactment of the Act of Union creating the formation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the population of Mullinavat stood at 158 and reached 531 in the census seventy years later. ‘Tory Hill’ overshadows the townland and acts as a natural landmark for the town. Rather than hurling or boxing for which the Marble County has had many representatives and numerous amounts of success, O’Mahoney’s sport of choice was that of soccer. In the same year as his birth, the town entered a hurling team in the Junior Championship of Kilkenny for the first time having previously preferred the other Gaelic Game of Gaelic football. A regular Irish town in a county whose devotion was to one sport would surely have made O’Mahony’s decision all the harder and even more unique in the circumstances.

Image: nifootball.blogspot.com

His career began in earnest with Liverpool in 1933; sadly his move there coincided with a decline in the club’s fortunes as they slid down the table losing their best players and failing to attract adequate replacements. However his time there saw limited playing opportunities with spells at New Brighton and Holylake taken in before moving to Southport the following season. From here on his ‘footballing’ pedigree was on the rise, a change to First Division Wolverhampton Wanderers led to a £175 move to Bristol Rovers in 1935 where he became a fan favourite at half-back. His performances caught the attention of local rivals Bristol City who offered a transfer of £750 for his services which was rejected by the Rovers board. His time in Bristol saw him make over 100 appearances. The club’s only major trophy during the inter-war years was a Division 3 (South) Cup victory over Watford. The match was notable as the game was played at the neutral venue of the Old Den as neither team agreed to a coin toss for home advantage. Also, the record defeat of Rovers to Luton by 12 goals to nil occurred in 1936.

International recognition soon followed, his first cap coming for Eire in 1938 against Czechoslovakia which ended in a two-all draw. Five more caps followed while O’Mahoney also has the distinction of being a dual international having also played for an IFA XI (Northern Ireland) against Scotland in the prestigious British Home Championships, losing by two goals to nil. Furthermore, what is remarkable is that just five days after the Scotland match he swapped the IFA jersey for the FAI in a 3-2 victory over Poland at Dalymount Park.

Once more, O’Mahoney also became the first FAI international to travel by plane for a home fixture against Switzerland in 1938. In the 1930s the popular means of transport being ferry and train for international games. He arrived in Dublin just over an hour before kick-off, but in time to help in a four-nil victory. Perhaps as a Kilkenny man he can be seen as a soccer prodigy and an aviation pioneer for the county. In one respect post Irish independence, a statement of such sovereignty was demonstrated through its airspace which had no limitations imposed under the Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921.

Such was Matt O’Mahoney’s form at this time, a transfer to Ipswich Town (for £600) ensued. Sadly the outbreak of the Second World War not only stymied his club but also his international career. The war years saw guest appearances (a regular occurrence during the period with no fixed leagues and games, players had to seek playing time with other teams) for clubs such as both Bristol sides Rovers and City, Rochdale and Tranmere Rovers. Upon the cessation of hostilities in Europe, O’Mahoney was the first choice centre-back for Ipswich and would go on to play ninety-seven games for the club. The ‘Tractor Boys’ were elected to the Football League in 1938 instead of Gillingham. A one-all draw against rivals Norwich City was the club’s last competitive game before the outbreak of war.

His soccer career finished in 1949 with a brief spell as manager of Yarmouth Town. With that it appears he had little interaction with the game until his death on the 25th January 1992. Though he has little silverware to match that of the Kilkenny hurlers, perhaps his main achievement is his uniqueness in being a professional sportsperson and having played at an international level.

From 1985 to 2008, his home county had a League of Ireland side in EMFA/Kilkenny City and there is clearly a strong if small (particularly when compared with hurling) support base for soccer, which continues to seek a return to League of Ireland representation and maintains the grounds of Buckley Park as a sports facility. In the national league itself players such as Gavin Holohan and Sean Maguire of Cork City and Dave Mulcahy of Bohemians among others hail from the county.

Over a hundred years since his birth and coming up to close to twenty-five years since his death there is surely a need for Matt O’Mahoney to be suitably remembered.